The United States plans to provide nearly $100 million in financing to Africell, an American-owned telecommunications company operating in Africa, as Washington moves to challenge the growing dominance of China’s Huawei in the continent’s telecoms sector.
The planned loan will come through the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM) and will allow Africell to invest in newer mobile network technology supplied by American and allied companies. Reuters reported that the announcement is expected to be made on Friday, September 11, 2026.
Africell currently operates in Angola, The Gambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone, serving about 15 million customers across the four countries. The company has previously worked with technology firms including Nokia, HP, Dell and Oracle.
The move is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to encourage countries to use American technology instead of equipment supplied by Chinese companies. Washington has raised security concerns about Huawei’s role in telecommunications infrastructure, although Huawei has repeatedly denied allegations that its technology could be used for spying.
According to Counterpoint Research data cited by Reuters, Huawei controls about 52% of Africa’s 5G infrastructure market, giving the Chinese company a strong position in the continent’s rapidly expanding digital economy.
The US sees telecoms infrastructure as an important part of its broader competition with China. Washington wants American companies to play a bigger role in Africa’s development of mobile networks, cloud computing, artificial intelligence and data centres.
Africell’s chief executive, Ziad Dalloul, said the company welcomed the cooperation with the US Export-Import Bank and described the investment as a way to introduce more secure communications infrastructure in its markets.
The latest financing would not be Africell’s first support from the United States. In 2018, the company received a $100 million loan from the US Overseas Private Investment Corporation, now part of the US International Development Finance Corporation, to help expand its communications infrastructure.
The new investment could increase competition in Africa’s telecommunications industry while giving governments and consumers more alternatives when choosing technology providers.
The development also highlights the growing strategic importance of Africa’s digital economy, as countries across the continent expand 5G networks and invest in faster internet, digital payments, cloud services and other technologies.
